Shawneé Gibbs

The artwork for this book was so cute! Chelsea’s family had the cutest nose.

Chelsea’s trying to desperately fit in with two, sometimey friends and hide her dad’s ghost-hunting business to no avail. I still think her friends sucked big time and couldn’t put up with those two sneak-dissing me all the time. But they did have some depth. They weren’t completely bad and some part of them genuinely liked Chelsea. You could tell they were insecure high schoolers and acting out because of it.

I liked the story and the New Orleans setting. New Orleanian history plays a large role in the ghosty business here. At first, I thought it was certainly a choice to have the Black lead crushing/attracted to a slave master’s son though, of course, he’s got abolitionist beliefs. I’m immediately put off by those types of dynamics, but the basis of this is pretty integral for the plot. Because… Subverted. Oliver’s passing and actually the son of a black man, unbeknownst to him. The book doesn’t skirt around the implication of slavery and acknowledges Chelsea’s uncomfortableness with Oliver’s connection to it.

The ending wrapped up nicely with a bow though I didn't care how they tried to reason with Oliver's raggedy uncle. Even the lady had to tell them the man was too far gone in racism to make any change. Boo hoo, you're a forgotten Confederate soldier, and people like your abolitionistic nephew better (and I saw those shoujo flowers – you cannot hide from me!… (altro)

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley.)

When fifteen-year-old Chelsea Grant gets busted for trespassing after hours and underage drinking in Lafayette Cemetery, her punishment includes spending the summer helping out at her dad's business. The same business she's spent the past three years trying to hide from her rich and popular friends at Newton Prep.

Engineering degree be damned, Doug Grant is a self-styled "paranormal removal expert" - a fancy way of saying that he's a ghost buster. Truthfully, the majority of his job involves removing raccoons and other wayward wildlife from peoples' attics. Even though most of his calls have a perfectly rational explanation, Doug is a firm believer in the supernatural. He was raised by his grandmother Hazel, a talented sage. When she suffered a heart attack during a cleansing, Doug vowed to get revenge on the spirit world.

When Paranormal Removal Services lands a big job ridding the famed Harrington estate of ghosts, Chelsea's world turns upside down. Not only are ghosts real, but she can see and even communicate with them. And not all of them are malevolent. Take the rakishly handsome Oliver Harrington, whose life - and death - is something of a mystery. Even though her dad is determined to "roast" every ghost in sight, can Chelsea find a way to save Oliver - and his fellow ghosts, Marie, Roman the cat, and Apollo the horse? But can she really trust a boy whose ancestors built their empire on the backs of enslaved people?

GHOST ROAST is not at all what I expected. Sure, it's got a swoon-worthy romance, an irreverent story line, and gorgeous artwork. But the plot also has a sinister undertone, as Chelsea and her mom try to uncover truths long buried by the Harrington family. (If it feels like the story is heading in a frustrating direction, hang in there! I promise the twists are worth it.) The story is set in New Orleans, which makes an atmospheric backdrop for both the artwork and historical fiction elements. Cannon's illustrations are charming, bursting with color and life and a certain sort of YA cuteness that I love.… (altro)